Factors influencing consumer preferences for goat meat

In recent years, there has been a dramatic spike in meat prices in Algeria and globally and this has substantially influenced meat consumption trends. The study aims to understand the factors that influence consumer perceptions and goat meat consumption behaviour in Algeria. This study included 240 participants using random selection who were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire through face-to-face interviews. At least 83% of the participants preferred the animals to be less than a year old, whereas only 2.9% opted for animals above two years of age. The male participants preferred male animals over female animals (81.3% vs 50.9%). Female participants preferred female animals (49.1% vs 18.7%). Among the breeds, Arbia was preferred over Makatia by 91.2% of participants in terms of sex and age. In terms of meat choice, the thigh muscle was the predominant choice among the female respondents (55.7%), whereas the shoulder cut was preferred by male respondents (49.3%). Nutritional features, health features, preparation time, conservation, information from previous consumers, and animal welfare concerns were found to primarily influence goat meat consumption among the participants. The study findings strongly reflect the trends and the strategies to be implemented in understanding consumer requirements to boost the consumption of goat meat, thereby transforming this into a stable income source in the meat product market.